City puts noisy developers on notice

Developers may soon be forced to display their noise mitigation plans on construction site fences, thanks to a City Council bill aimed at catching developers who make a ruckus.

Council member Dan Garodnick, who represents neighborhoods much of Midtown East and the Upper East Side, introduced the bill Thursday, DNAinfo reported. The bill will also require the Department of Environmental Protection to post noise mitigation plans for construction sites on its website.

Though every construction site must feature a noise mitigation plan, Garodnick believes the plans are not suitably accessible to neighbors. The DEP keeps the plans and the only way for residents to get them is to contact the department or the contractor directly. Garodnick says it shouldn’t be that hard.

“We constantly have construction running up against the demands of residents, so we’re trying to strike a balance that allows work to proceed but also doesn’t ruin people’s lives in the process,” he said, according to the news website.

Meanwhile, the amount of after-hours construction in New York City has risen steadily over the past few years. Last month, an analysis by The Real Deal showed the Department of Buildings regularly issues after-hours building permits, but rarely revokes them. The DOB issued nearly 60,000 after-hours building permits last year, but revoked just 18. Council member Rosie Mendez is also planning to introduce a bill that will set new standards for after-hours permits. [DNAinfo] — Miriam Hall